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Colorado Rockies

09/26/2013

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

In an old-fashioned Coors Field slugfest, the Red Sox belted three homers among their 16 hits, pounding the Colorado Rockies 15-5, and moving a step closer to clinching the best record in the American League.

Will Middlebrooks smoked two homers -- a three-run homer in the fifth and a grand slam in the eighth -- giving him seven RBI. Shane Victorino added a three-run homer of his own while Jarrod Saltalamacchia collected four hits and had two RBI.

David Ortiz, meanwhile, reached the 100-RBI mark for the seventh time in his career with a two-run double in the first inning.

The game was also the last home game for Colorado first baseman Todd Helton, who was honored with a pr-game ceremony. Helton homered in the first inning and later added a sacrifice fly and a run-scoring double in his final Coors Field appearance after 17 seasons.

FIrst, hats off to Todd Helton who deserved every bit of the ovation he received last night. One of the most underrated players in baseball and was the face of that franchise once Larry Walker and the rest of the Blake Street Bombers left Colorado. I don't know if he'll make the Hall of Fame but he could get a push since he came through the steroid era without being branded as a cheater.

Now for the Sox. Man oh man did the bats wake up. Having Jacoby Ellsbury back at the top of the order was a welcoming sight. It also put Shane Victorino back in the two spot and he went 3-for-5 including the aforementioned three-run homer in the fourth.

Even Middlebrooks who was in a bit of a funk went off. I swear he always has one of these monster games in between his funks to balance out his numbers. He's now third on the team with 17 homers in just 91 games. If he's able to stay consistent, like he has for a majority of his return from Pawtucket, he could be a 30-homer, 100 RBI guy.

The Sox are now two games up on Oakland for the best record and are heading to Baltimore to finish the regular season. Things keeps on looking better for the Sox.

Last time

The Sox took two games from the Rockies fairly easily at the end of June. The Sox took game 1 by the score of 11-4, behind 20 hits. 5 runs were scored early in game 2, and the Sox were able to hold on for the 5-3 win. There was never really much worry of losing that game.

This time

Laser Show: Dustin Pedroia

It's a small sample, but in 7 games against the Rockies, Pedey is batting .433, with 13 hits, 3 homers, 9 RBI, and a 1.271 OPS. All 3 of those homers were from that one game 3 years ago, which boosts his numbers at Coors Field to a .500 average and 1.933 OPS. Small samples, but enough to feel good about him bringing his average back over .300 in this series.

Pitch Around: Michael Cuddyer

Cuddyer was batting .344 in June, and is now batting .334. Pretty consistent, and good for top in the NL.

Don't Fall Behind: Tyler Chatwood

Clearly the best of the two, and that is the primary reason. The Sox shouldn't have much trouble against him.

How we see it goin' down

The Sox will sweep the two-game set, but it may not be that easy. Some guys will get rest and the Rockies have the ability to win games. Not a great ability, but it is much better at home. The Rockies have a better winning percentage at home than the Red Sox do on the road. Think about that. Colorado just can't play on the road...at all. Again, the Sox will win both games, but it will be a bit of a challenge.

Last time

It has been almost 3 years to date since the Red Sox visited Colorado for the most recent meeting between the two clubs. The Red Sox didn't have a great trip to Denver from June 22 - June 24 of 2010, as they dropped 2 in a 3 game series.

Game 1 featured a pitchers duel between Jon Lester and Jhoulys Chacin, with Chacin coming out on top in a 2-1 win for the Rockies. The only 2 current Red Sox that were in that lineup were Pedroia and Nava.

The Sox dropped game 2, but not before John Lackey would go 2-for-3 at the plate with a double.

Finally, Boston was able to pull out a wild one in game 3, a 13-11 victory in 10 innings.

I don't remember any of that.

This time

Laser Show: David Ortiz

Papi raked in the Tigers series, going 7-for-16, with a pair of homers and 3 RBI. A pair of Colorado righties will be a perfect recipie to keep it going.

Pitch Around: Michael Cuddyer & Carlos Gonzalez

Speaking of raking, both of these guys are doing it. Cuddyer's average (.339) is better than Gonzalez's (.300), but Gonzalez is hitting for better power. Cuddyer and Gonzalez both have an OPS nearing 1.000, at .968 and .992 respectively. Luckily, for the Red Sox, Troy Tulowitzki is on the 15-day DL.

Don't Fall Behind: Juan Nicasio & Rex Brothers

Oswalt is working on his return, and does not look great at all, leaving Nicasio as the biggest threat. The Sox shouldn't be too worried about him.

Rex Brothers is their newly appointed closer that is shutting the opposition down. Hopefully, the Sox won't have to deal with him, but if they do, it will not be an easy task.

How we see it goin' down

The Sox could not get anything to go their way for most of the Tigers series, however, these are the Rockies. The Sox will make quick work of them in the 2-game set, even with Dempster and Lackey.

01/21/2012

Every morning we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump...

Just because the Red Sox [team stats] have not been able to bring in another starter on a major league deal does not mean they have abandoned hope of doing so.

That is why they are still maintaining contact with the agent for free agent starter Roy Oswalt, an alluring remedy for the club’s starting pitching blues. Oswalt may be amenable to a one-year deal worth roughly $8 million.

The fact the Red Sox have not yet made a bold run to lock up Oswalt at that price could be a sign of how close the team is to breaking the $178 million luxury tax threshold.

That could help explain why word spread from the Rocky Mountains yesterday that the Rockies and the Red Sox had spoken about a deal to send shortstop Marco Scutaro and his $6 million salary to Colorado. A low-cost return would likely have been the Red Sox’ goal but the talks fizzled, according to the Denver Post.

As Scott mentioned last week, Scutaro and Youk are about the only players whose salary we could dump if we wanted to make a run at Oswalt. And it appears as though the Sox attempted to do just that by offering Marco to the Rockies. And while I have no real attachment to Scutaro, creating a new hole to plug another isn't exactly wise. Sure, you could make Punto the everyday short stop (ugh) or slide Aviles in there, or even hand the reigns over to Iglesias prematurely. But none of those options are exactly appealing.

This does show us that the Sox are in no way content to head into the upcoming season with the rotation they currently have. Cherington has to be sweating right now, having the fate of his first season rest on the arm of a Cook, Silva or Padilla; not to mention Bard's successful transition from the pen. But this trade also shows us that the Sox are serious about needing to dump salary to take on a substantial contract.

But if Oswalt wants to come to Boston (and I have a good feeling he does. This really is the best situation for him), perhaps he'll be willing to give us a huge discount. This is a guy that earned $82 million over his past 6 seasons. Surely he can afford to pitch for $3 or $4 million for a season before cashing in one last time. What do you say, Roy?

03/30/2011

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

According to team sources, the Red Sox are still debating whether to have top prospect Jose Iglesias open the 2011 season in Double-A Portland or Triple-A Pawtucket. The team wants to assign Iglesias to a level that will maximize the likelihood of his being big league ready for the 2012 campaign.

Because the shortstop -- already considered a defensive star -- lost a couple months of his 2010 season with Portland due to a broken finger, the team might want him to get more at-bats in Double-A before an early season promotion to Triple-A. That said, the team might also decide that Iglesias is better served by a challenge at a more advanced level.

Whether he plays in Portland or Pawtucket really is of little significance at this time (unless you frequent one of those team's games). I have no doubt that the Sox are going to give him the best road to be prepped when the time comes.

I'm ready for the Jose Iglesias era. We're a few shortstops removed from having a player that can make jaw-dropping catches, dives and throws on a regular basis. Say what you will about his bat, but he's no joke in the field.

What's interesting is how this will all play out for Jed Lowrie. Scutaro is gone after this year, regardless. He was signed to be a stop-gap until Iglesias was ready. What the Sox weren't sure about was what type of player Jed Lowrie was going to become. And really, we still don't know. He was pretty damn good in those 55 games last year. Good enough that he doesn't deserve to play the utility role.

If Lowrie has a solid first half, and Iglesias is progressing nicely (whether it be in AA or AAA), I don't think it's a stretch to see Theo flip Lowrie somewhere for whatever the Sox most pressing need is at that time. I don't want to see him go, but that infield isn't big enough for the both of them.